Today marks 1 yr since HSM took office. (Thread)

Assessment:

*One of year of good, but largely mixed performance. Strong push against AS. Progress stymied by poor planning.

*Next phase of war must be better coordinated, better planned. No use taking territory if you can't hold *Big credit for appointment of President Waare. There is need to reframe security stabilisation policy. Put more emphasis on locally-appropriate forces or State Darawiish.

Some thoughts on #Sudan's Jeddah accord: (Thread)

*RSF, SAF have no incentive for ceasefire at this point. Each side confident of victory.

*RSF has taken heavy hits but holding ground in key parts of Khartoum.

*Fight existential. One man must be left standing. *RSF's biggest tactical advantage is fighting in urban setting. Civilians are its shield. It cannot allow corridors for civilian exit.

*If dislodged, it can retreat to Darfur, make perihery ungovernable.

*RSF will resist calls to let civilians leave areas under its control.

Al-Shabaab now involved in Laas Anood violence.

This is no longer just a claim by Somaliland. intelligence agencies operating in the Horn now deem info credible.

A thread: Al-Shabaab is said to have sent 150 of its Dhulbahante fighters to join the SSC units massed in Buhoodle. A total of 500 joint SSC-AS fighters sent to the front

Profiling Gen Wereda 1/6

Lieutenant General Tadesse Wereda became known to the international community when he was appointed as Force Commander for the UN Interim Security Force in Abyei (on the Sudan-South Sudan border) in June 2011. UNISFA was set up to control the area and prevent a war between Sudan and South Sudan. Gen. Tadesse deployed his troops at a speed rarely if ever equalled in the history of UN peacekeeping.

A thread:

A war is looming between Tigray and Ethiopia. This time it will be devastating and a fight to the death I appeal to African statesmen @PaulKagame AU chairperson Senegal's Macky Sall and Thabo Mbeki to intervene to prevent a conflagration.

A thread on Robow

Myth: Robow unrepentant

Fact: Left AS 2013, relocated to home district, fought off multiple attempts to assassinate him by AS, came to Mogadishu, recanted AS ideology, denounced it, sought "to help government tackle AS ideology", spoke out against violence. Conducted secret talks with Somalis and non-Somalis to assure them he is a changed man and was willing to support efforts to counter Al-Shabaab.

A thread on stigmatising women who sell qat:

A campaign is underway in northern Kenya led by ulema to compel suuqley market women to abandon selling qat.

The campaign slogan is "proceeds from qat haram".

All may seem sensible, nice, even, but think hard about implications. Estimated 150k women depend on qat trade for their livelihood. Cumulatively this translates into roughly 800k families directly dependent on qat.

Out of a population of 2.+ million, this is a significant chunk.

A thread on qat controversy:

For four years Farmaajo and his family monopolised import and distribution of Ethiopian qat. Abolutionists seemed OK with it. All of a sudden abolitionists are in uproar because Kenya will be able to export its qat to Somalia.

Note double standards. Humans have been addicted to one substance or other since dawn of history. Ancient civilisations experimented with many types of plant-based highs. Drugs were even essential to worship, ritual.

History of humanity is a history of highs. 😂

#BREAKING

Get ready to be astounded.

A group of supporters of ex-president Farmaajo have approached the Danish chapter of Architects Without Borders to help design a complex for him, comprising residential quarters, community centre and library.

Thread. Leaked emails obtained from a credible source show a lady by name Anisa Abdi Isse, who claims to represent an organisation by the name "Dansomala Association" on 3 June wrote to the AWB about an "exciting" project to honour the ex-president for "his fight against corruption".

I have launched my manifesto to become Somalia's next president. Below are my priorities:

*Call constitutional conference in first quarter, deliver permanent constitution in one year,

1/5 *Immediately start inclusive dialogue to discuss future of Somalia, chart a clear political road plan to properly "federalise" country,

*Revise National Security Plan in 1st year to rebuild coherent army, police, security,

If you think Kenya’s arid northeast is economic wasteland, think again.

This week, Kenyan regional development minister @AdanMohamedCS commissioned a gum arabic and resins factory in Wajir, said to be the largest in Africa.

Thread 1/6 Wajir County is home to rarest species of trees that produce gum arabic, myrrh and frankincense. The trees grow in the wild.

The factory will turn these much sort after products into essential oils used in perfumery, medicine and food industry.

Use of drones in Tigray war started Nov 2020. Abiy's forces deployed a team of mercenaries to conduct decapitation strikes on Tigrayan leaders.

Drones used throughout war. At first Wing Loong II, then Bayraktar TB2

US pressure on supplier saw diminished UAV usage Jan-June.

/7 Dramatic spikes noted after June setback of the ENDF. Abiy went to Turkey signed new defence agreement in August.

ethiopianmonitor.com/2021/08/18/eth…